Amber stopped repair inga nail she’d broken earlier. “Want me to stay and help?” Her offer lacked enthusiasm

“No, thanks. You and Vince have plans. I can handle it: ‘

Amber put down the emery board. “Wait a minute. I wasn’t thinking straight. This isn’t a good time for you to be here alone after closing. I am staying: “don’t be silly. Neal Parnell ha sri t bothered me in quite a while. See him out there having a good time with Beth?” The sight of Neal made Dallas’s skin crawl, but she forced herself to seem nonchalant.

“I don’t care. With Gabe out of the picture, I doxi t feel right about-“

“I woxi t be alone. Irving Skinner told me he’s staying to take inventory, too Dallas hated to lie to her friend, but Amber would throw up a million roadblocks if Dallas told her the truth.

“And you’ll leave when Irving leaves?”

Dallas held up her hand. “I promise.”

“Okay, then.”

One down and one to go, Dallas thought, noticing that Neal had stopped at the bar for another beer. “I’m parched; she said. “Would you watch the shop while I get a soda from the bar?”

“Sure,”

Dallas chose a spot halfway down the bar from where Neal sat. He didn’t look at her. What ifhe really has lost interest? she tqought, and was ashamed of the feeling of relief that surged through her at the possibility

Neal wouldn’t attack her, after all. But if she didn’t send him to prison, he would rape someone else. She caught the attention of Tom, the bartender on duty.

“How’s it going, Dallas?” he asked as he squirted soda from a nozzle into an ice-cube-filled glass.

“I’m so behind,” she said in a wail that she figured would carry down the length of the bar to Neal. “Looks like I’ll have to stay after closing tomorrow night to take inventory. “

Tom handed her the fizzing glass. “Bummer.”

“Isxi t it?” She started to turn away.

“Say, Dallas, what’s the story on that guy, the one who always wears the flannel shirts? First you throw him out of your shop, then you act like you’re going together , and now he’s vanished.”

He couldn’t have fed her better lines if she’d handed him a script. “I should have followed my first instincts with that man, Tom. Let’s just say it didn’t work out.

He’s history.”

Tom shook his head. “Dating’s tough in the nineties is all I have to say.”

“No kidding.” With a wave of her hand, Dallas returned to the shop with her drink. Unless Neal was hard-of-hearing, she’d just baited the trap.

WHFN SHE CAME HOME that night, Gabe was waiting. Their lovemaking was fervent and prolonged. They didn’t speak of the next night’s activities until early morning, just before Gabe returned to his truck hidden in the nearby wash.

“Forget this code-word business,” Gabe said, holding her tight as they stood by her back door in semidarkness’I’ll break things up when I think they’ve gone far enough: “don’t step in too soon: ‘

He didn’t answer but his kiss was punishing, and he left without another word:

Dallas kept busy all day with chores. When she finally cleaned up and dressed for work late in the afternoon , her fingers shook as she fastened her bra and drew on her panties. Was she insane? Then she thought of Celia’s testimony on the stand. At the time it had seemed too calm and rehearsed to be real. But it had been real. Celia had suffered through those things. And so would others, if Neal wasn’t stopped now. She had a chance to stop him.

A light rain fell as she drove to work. Ordinarily she’d park near the door on nights like this, but instead she chose a spot near the Dumpster. Plenty of daylight remained as she got out of the truck and locked it. But it didn’t take much imagination to picture the parking lot as she knew it to be at night, with pockets of darkness beside parked vehicles and in corners where the overhead lights didn’t reach. She hurried toward the building with the cowardly thought that maybe Neal wouldn’t come in tonight.

But he did. He’d dressed all in black again, and she shivered as she contemplated why.

Diego had volunteered to be the inside man. Dallas had never met him, but when he walked in she recognized him immediately from Gabes description stocky , with a short dark beard and curly hair under a battered western hat. Lacking the comfort of Gabe’s presence, Dallas kept her eye on Diego as a welcome port in a stormy sea. She noticed that he drank only soda during the evening.

“You okay?” Amber asked her about ten, when she’d dropped a pair of scissors twice in five minutes.

“Too much coffee today, Dallas said. “I really have to cut back on my caffeine.”

“If you’re nervous about staying here after closing, I’ll call Vince. We can all work on that damned inventory”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She’d tried to avoid looking at Neal tonight, but he always seemed to be hovering in her field of vision, although he’d never acknowledged her. He moved like a panther through the dance hall, making her constantly aware of his menacing presence. She was jumpy, and if Amber had picked up on her nervousness, Neal might. She’d have to be more careful. “The inventory’s no big deal,” she said.

“Well, I feel guilty, leaving you here, even if Irving Skinner is sticking around Amber said.

“It’s really no problem. I-my God.”

“What?”

Dallas stared at the man sauntering toward her, a man with the power to ruin everything.

If circumstances had been different, he would have been, as he d promised, a sight for sore eyes. A boldly patterned western shirt accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, and stone-washed jeans displayed wellmuscled thighs and buttocks. Black lizard-skin boots added at least two inches to his height. His hat had been professionally blocked, and a tooled leather belt encircled his hips. Fred Axton had transformed himself into a cowboy.

Amber followed the direction of Dallas’s gaze. “Cute , but too short for you. And falling for somebody on the rebound is never a good idea, Dallas. Put your eyes back in your head.”

Dallas tried to gather her thoughts. “That’s not why I’m staring. You should have seen him a couple of days ago. I’m amazed at the transformation: And petrified that Neal will notice him and suspect something.

“What’d he look like?”

“Not like that: Dallas couldn’t see a way out of talking with Fred. He still didn’t look much like the chief prosecutor for Pima County. Maybe she was worried for nothing. “You couldn’t tell the guy had shoulders , or buns, either, for that matter.”

“Well, you can now. Like I said, a couple of inches taller and I’d want to know his name.”

“Well, I’ll introduce you, anyway.” Dallas smiled as Fred walked through the door of the shop. “I’m impressed ; she said.

“I’m a quick study,” Fred replied, his glance slipping toward Amber.

“Fred, this is my associate, Amber Dalton.”

Fred extended his hand and gave Amber the direct gaze that Dallas had observed mesmerizing more than one female juror during the trial. Dallas watched with amusement as Fred’s intensity brought a pleased flush to Amber’s cheeks. Short or not, Fred might be about , to give the unimaginative Vince a run for his money.

“Fred Axton was the prosecutor for the trial, Dallas continued as the handshake lasted a little longer than polite intercourse required.

“A lawyer, are you?” Amber asked.

“An urban cowboy; Fred responded. “Thanks to Dallas. She’s my wardrobe consultant.”

“She did a good job.”

“Thanks.” Fred took off his hat and tossed it on the rack. “But I think I need a finishing touch. How about trimming my hair, Amber?”

“LJm, sure: Amber glanced at Dallas, who gave her a covert thumbs-up as Fred settled into the chair. Dallas had never been crazy about Vince, Amber’s current boyfriend, and she couldn’t think of a better matchup than Amber and Fred. They both were intelligent, principled people with a sense of humor. So what if Fred was an inch shorter than Amber? It wouldn’t matter once they were prone.

Still, the niggling worry that Neal would recognize

Fred plagued her. She searched the dance hall and found

Neal in a far corner, leaning with both arms braced against the wall, imprison inga laughing Beth, who carried a tray of drinks. He seemed to have no interest in what was happening in the Cutting Pen. Rowdy Ranch was a huge place, after all. There were easily two hundred people within its confines tonight. No doubt she was imagining problems where there were none. Yet she’d be glad when Fred’s hat was back on his head.

After receivinga very thorough shampoo and hairstyling from Amber, Fred walked over to the bar. Dallas didn’t worry too much about it until she remembered Diego. She turned with a sense of foreboding , and sure enough, Fred had recognized Diego as a bail-enforcement officer.

Dallas watched helplessly as Diego made an excuse to get away from Fred, but it was too late. Dallas could tell the moment Neal recognized the prosecutor by the sudden stiffening of his posture and the abrupt end of his laughter. She turned away, heart racing, and tried to concentrate on the haircut she was giving. So what if Neal had recognized Fred? People from all over Tucson came to this place. But her plan no longer seemed so foolproof, and her palms grew slick with perspiration

“I like your Fred Axton; Amber said after the customer left.

“Do you now?” Dallas seized the distraction like a lifeline. “Personally, I think he’s a little short.”

Amber threw a towel at her, and she ducked.

“Did you give him your number?” she asked.

“No. That wouldn’t be fair to Vince.”